


Self Love

by Theshowmustgo_on



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Canon Compliant, During Canon, F/F, Sex Talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:01:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25717738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theshowmustgo_on/pseuds/Theshowmustgo_on
Summary: Set During the Episode "Korra Alone." After beginning to start walking again, Katara and Kya give Korra advice to do activities that will help her mental health and well being, which includes some very much needed self love.
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato
Kudos: 102





	Self Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ficsandmusings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ficsandmusings/gifts).



> I'm sure we can all sympathize with Korra's isolation. Quarantine-esque feels.

Hugging Naga at the end of the walking bars felt like such a great achievement. For months she could hardly stand and take a few steps. Now, with the help of Katara’s encouragement, Korra was able to walk the entire length of her therapy room. 

“Now see if you can get back to your chair, Korra.”

Katara walked up to her and Naga, reaching out her hand for extra support.

Korra slowly turned around, using Naga’s body for support. “Ok, I can do this.” She quickly reached out for Katara’s hand, took a step, and swung her other hand to reach the bar. Katara guided Korra's hand to the other bar, leaving Korra to do the same six steps across the bars to her chair. Her arms immediately began to ache holding up most of her weight again. She ignored the pain that by the end had spread down her back and up her legs.

“Oof,” she said as she sat down in her chair. She sighed.

“Great job, Korra. You see, with perspective and self awareness comes strength,” said Katara.

“Thank you so much Katara. I’m sorry I yelled earlier.”

“It's alright. You know, I believe that it is your mind that could be slowing down your recovery.”

“My mind?”

“Your mental health. I know you’ve been struggling being out here alone without your friends. Is there anything you do for yourself that you enjoy?”

“Hmm, I mean, I do meditate more often than I did before. Perhaps not enough though.”

“That’s good. Meditation is an amazing tool that helps us stay aware and connected with ourselves, bringing inner peace. But, I guess what I'm asking more so is what you do for fun?”

“What do I do for fun?” Katara nodded. Korra stared at her for a second, then looked at her lap. She couldn’t think of anything. Blank.

The prolonged silence prompted Katara to speak again. “Tell me what your routine is these days?”

“Well...I don’t have a specific time I wake up exactly. I try to have breakfast with my parents before my father goes to work, but that only happens maybe once or twice a week. On those days I wake up around 8-8:30. More often than not though I wake up at 10 or 11. Uh, at breakfast i’ll read the news sometimes because my father always leaves the paper on the table for me. If I don’t feel like it though i’ll listen to the radio-”

“Oh good! What do you like to listen to on the radio? Music? Sports? Any shows?

“Yeah, sometimes I guess. I listen to music at breakfast if I miss the morning news or shows. I do try to make the 11am news though. I listen to that the most.”

“Ok,” Katara said with a somewhat wary voice. 

“I’ll talk to my mom, and then depending on the day she’ll help me get ready for any session I have with you or Kya. Sometimes that can take up to an hour. If I don’t have a session, sometimes i’ll meditate, other times… I don’t know. I guess I don’t keep that busy.”

“Do you ever go into town?”

“Sometimes I accompany my mom when she goes shopping, but not usually. I do go drinking with my dad though,” Korra said with a slight smirk.

“That sounds like nice father-daughter bonding time. Although I wouldn’t say drinking will help you much physically.”

“Yeah, I'm reminded that every time I get a hangover, which is about every time I drink these days,” Korra said in a defeated tone.

“Look, Korra. I’m only inquiring because having a routine and doing pleasurable activities can also help you heal. Aang and the rest of us made time to have fun and relax even during the war. I know you are limited physically right now, and I realize that a big part of your identity is wrapped around bending and being the Avatar, but you should try to do things that have nothing to do with that, and that you enjoy.”

\----  
That night Korra and her parents were eating dinner. Due to Katara’s advice Korra asked her mother to make sea prune soup and arctic hen, her favorite.

“I have good news. Today I was able to walk the most I ever have.”

“Wow! That’s great honey!” her father bellowed. Her mother congratulated her as well. 

“How much were you able to walk?” her mother questioned.

“Around 12 steps or so. Sounds small when you say it like that-”

“Nonsense,” her dad said, interrupting her. “We know how hard getting your mobility back has been. This is an amazing achievement, Korra.”

“Thank you, dad.”

“Well, we should celebrate then,” Senna suggested. “Would you like to do something special tonight, sweetie? We could go into town.”

Korra thought to herself on what she would like to do. “I did hear about a new mover on the radio earlier. I forgot what it’s called but I think it was made here in the Southern Water Tribe.”

“What a great idea Korra! I was going to suggest we go anyways because my secretary notified me that we’ve been invited to the premier tomorrow night. This mover is apparently the Southern Water Tribe’s first mover filmed here and not in the United Republic. The entire cast is Southern Water Tribe too.”

“How interesting! Let’s go!” Senna said excitedly.

Korra’s anxiety spiked in that moment. “I..uh. I mean, do you think it is going to be like a formal event with the press there and everything?” 

Tonraq and Senna turned to each other with anxious looks and then looked back to Korra. “Look, there’s no pressure to go honey. If you don’t want to face the press like that, then don’t worry. We can all go and see the mover after the premier.”

Korra sighed. “Yeah, that would be nice. Still though, you guys can obviously make an appearance at the premier. It seems like the mover is a big cultural moment for our tribe.”

The thought of doing something special like that seemed spoiled, and it made Korra feel worse. She wasn’t ready to be in the public like that. She was afraid of seeming weak and unable, but what caused her more concern was the possibility of being asked questions about the Earth Kingdom or the Red Lotus.

“Maybe we shouldn’t go, Tonraq. I assume the press is going to ask us questions about Korra,” Senna said. This made Korra feel even sadder. Now her parents were being limited by her state.

“Perhaps you’re right,” Tonraq conceded. “But hey, that doesn’t mean we still aren’t gonna celebrate for what you accomplished today. Let’s go to the tavern we like down the street from here.”

“Yeah, I don’t know dad. Maybe on Friday when we normally go.”

“I can pick up something sweet from the bakery tomorrow for you sweetie,” Senna said with a kind smile. Korra looked up to her mother and almost felt close to tears. She always had felt grateful for her, but it was in these moments of such kindness that she felt so much love for her.

“Thanks, mom. Maybe I can go with you tomorrow?”

“Of course, sweetie. I love it when you come with me to do my errands.”

After that dinner was over and Korra went to her room. Her mom helped her into her nightgown and into her bed, then leaving her alone. Ten minutes or so later her father came into her room and dropped off a letter for her. It was from Asami, the first in almost a month. She smiled and opened it up.

Dear Korra,  
Lately I've been super busy with work, so my apologies that I haven’t kept in good touch lately. I’ve been learning a lot through this infrastructure project, but I definitely don’t enjoy working so closely with president Raiko. We disagree often, but his urban planners that I collaborate with usually take my side, which is nice. We’ve all mentioned it before, but i’m going to go into it more. Boy do I hate his political views and decisions. I know that technically having Raiko as a president makes myself and Future Industries pay less taxes and other federal fines, but to be honest I don’t really care. Obviously I care a lot about profits, but something that always bothers me about business leaders is how they don’t care about their workers’s well being. They’re all so spineless and coldhearted. They only care about the money and growth.

This is why I'm so grateful for you, Mako, Bolin, and everyone on Air temple island. I wonder if without meeting you guys and the influence you’ve had on my life, if I would’ve become someone like that. Being on the team with you and fighting for what’s right have been the most rewarding experiences of my life. Way more rewarding than my company’s successes. 

Other than work, i’m afraid I don’t get to do much. I do train 3-4 times a week, but other than that it’s hard to keep in touch with people. I’ve been visiting Air temple island less and less ever since the Air nation started doing their relief missions. But whenever Opal is on the island she’ll give me a call and we catch up. On occasion I'll visit her, Jinora, or Pema. I haven’t seen Mako in a few months. I heard he has been chasing after the Red Monsoon triad.

I really miss you. I hope you are doing ok these days. If you are interested, I made the cover of a new technology and business magazine. It’s a special issue about women in tech. I’m afraid the interview I gave is kind of technical and boring though. Honestly, I really try to avoid talking about anything that has to do with my personal life, but that’s all anyone seemingly wants to know about. I mean, why would a technology magazine constantly ask me about my dating life? Or what mover actors I find attractive. Pretty annoying, right? At least no one ever crosses the line and asks me about my father. To their annoyance I kept it strictly business for the most part. I did however enjoy the photo shoot, and they even let me choose the cover photo. 

Have a good week Korra. I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,  
Asami.

While letters were always the most exciting part of her day, they always left Korra feeling melancholy. Asami’s letters were always the most interesting to her though, because she was hands down the best writer. Her letters made her feel the most in the loop of Republic City, which was nice.

The last part of her letter gave her a nagging feeling though. Is Asami seeing anyone romantically? What exactly is her “dating life?” If she had gotten a boyfriend then she probably would’ve told her in a letter, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t date or have casual relationships. She actually would have appreciated it if Asami had answered the magazine’s personal questions.

“Ughhh! Why am I like this?” Korra said aloud, dropping the letter to the floor besides her bed. It was as if her feelings for Asami grew tenfold every time she sent Korra a letter. They were not only confusing, but it hurt her to think that Asami could be with other people.

\---

The next day Korra had a massage and healing session with Kya in the morning. She had asked her mother to wait doing her errands until after her session was done. Once at the healing hut Kya and her mom helped Korra onto the massage table. 

“Korra, i’m going home to do laundry. I’ll be back to pick you up, and then we can go downtown, ok?”

Korra nodded and Kya said goodbye. Kya then began Korra’s massage by taking water, enveloping it around her thighs and heating it. “My mom told me about your session with her yesterday. We are so proud of your progress Korra.”

“Thank you Kya. I honestly could have never done it without Katara. She’s so kind and wise and understanding. More than anything it was her advice that got me to walk.”

“Yeah, she was telling me that she thinks you need some kind of outlet for yourself. You know, to take your mind off things.”

“I guess,” Korra stated flatly.

Once Kya was done heating up Korra’s legs she began to give her a deep massage. Kya’s massages were always so painful, but Korra enjoyed them nonetheless because they helped tremendously with feeling her legs, and they made her feel good afterwards.

“A little self care can go a long way.”

“Isn’t this kind of like self care?”

“No, this is rehabilitation.”

“Oh yeah. Well, I don’t know what i’m supposed to do for self care exactly.”

“Well…” Kya said with pause. “Do you have anyone in your life?”

“What? I mean yeah I have friends and family-”

“No, Korra. I mean more like, do you have sex?”

Korra’s response embarrassed her a little. Her cheeks immediately turned pink and her face got hot. “I uh, I mean...I haven’t um...in a while. You know?”

“I understand. Don’t worry, I’m not trying to put you on the spot. Sex and relationships make us feel good. As humans we crave that kind of attention. You’ll find that sex can relieve stress, help you sleep better, and make you feel happier all around.”

Korra kept silent for a moment after. She felt even more embarrassed because now her mind went straight to Asami, and her letter from last night. 

“I’m not really seeing anyone like that these days,” Korra said in a sad tone.

“Hey. I’m not really suggesting that you should exactly, unless you meet someone over here that you like. But look, sex can definitely be a form of self care, and the good thing about sex is that you can do it by yourself.” Kya lifted her eyebrows up for a second.

Korra chuckled. “I catch your drift.” 

“I’m just saying. Being in tune with the sexual sides of ourselves is very important, physically and mentally. I really think it could make you feel a little bit happier too, especially if down the line you can be with someone.”

Kya implored a little bit more. “Do you want a relationship?”

Korra sighed. “I do. I don’t know about right now though, or in the near future. Once I can go back and work as the Avatar again, I might have to play catch-up for a while.”

Kya nodded. “Well, you’ll always have your hand,” she said with a smirk.

“My goodness Kya!” Korra said laughing along with her.

\----  
After the session with Kya, Senna came and picked her up to take Korra downtown. They had lunch together, and then went to the bakery where Korra picked out a cake for them to have for desert that night. 

They then walked to a hair salon. “Korra do you mind waiting while I get my hair trimmed?” Senna asked.

“No problem, mom…” Korra then spotted a bookstore across the street from them. “I’ll be at that bookstore, ok?”

“Alright.”

Korra wheeled herself over and went inside. The storekeeper greeted her and she asked if there was a magazine section. The storekeeper pointed to the opposite wall and Korra approached it, immediately spotting Asami on the cover of United Technology magazine. She was able to reach it from her chair. Asami looked beautiful on the cover, like always. The photo was a half body shot, just showing her face and her torso. She looked a bit different actually. She wore her hair differently, not completely down, and it wasn’t straightened anymore. Her natural hair was wavy, and her face looked a little bit older. The issue was titled “Women in Technology Today,” and below it had two main features. One with Asami, and the other was with Kuvira. 

Korra's interest peaked, immediately flipping to Kuvira’s spread first. It was titled “The Modernization of the Earth Kingdom: How the Great Uniter, Kuvira, is Progressing the World’s Least Developed Nation.” Korra eagerly read the spread, which included an interview with Kuvira and Bataar Jr. The article mainly talked about their goals of completing a cross country railway system, Bataar Jr.’s inventions, their accomplishments of providing technology and aid to poorer Earth Kingdom states, and boosting the Earth Kingdom’s overall economy. Admittedly Korra was impressed. It pained her a bit to think that this could be done without her. “Maybe the Avatar isn’t as needed as I thought,” she thought to herself. The interview even went into Kuvira and Bataar Jr.’s budding romance. “Such a power couple they are!” the reporter remarked. 

Korra sneered for a moment. “Asami and I would be a greater power couple,” she said under her breath. At that moment her mom knocked on the window to the shop. “Let’s go sweetie, I got to start making dinner soon.”

Korra signaled her to give her a moment. She circled around and bought the magazine.

\-----

Korra decided to help her mom prep the food, cutting and peeling the vegetables.

“I appreciate you helping me Korra. I had a nice afternoon with you.”

“I did too mom. Katara and Kya were telling me that I should do more things to try and enjoy myself.” 

“Well that’s a great idea. You got to have fun and relax. At your age, when I wasn’t working or doing chores, all I did was have fun with my friends.” At that moment Tonraq walked in and greeted them both. “And then I met your father,” Senna joked.

“What?” he asked. Korra and Senna laughed. 

\----

Dinner was nice. Her dad and mom told Korra numerous stories of when they were young, some of which Korra had never heard before. Things didn’t feel as heavy as usual. Today was probably the best day she’d had since she was living in Republic City.

After dinner Tonraq suggested that they listen to a pro bending tournament. In the past year pro bending had come to the Southern Water Tribe. Some teams and matches were water only, while others had the other elements. This tournament was water only, but it was still exciting enough. After a few matches, Korra excused herself and her mom helped her get ready for bed.

“Do you want the light out, sweetie?”

“No, mom. I’m going to read for a while.”

“I can make you some tea if you want.” Korra nodded and Senna went back down to the kitchen.

Korra opened United Technology to Asami’s spread. The story was titled: “Asami Sato: the Young and Beautiful Heiress and CEO Takes Republic City and Future Industries by Storm.” The headline made Korra break out into a huge smile.

“Here Korra, I got you your tea.” Senna placed the cup on Korra’s bedside table.

“Thanks mom. Look! Asami is on the cover of this magazine.”

“Wow! How exciting for her. She looks beautiful.”

Senna joined Korra in reading Asami’s spread. The article went into the infrastructure project, which included progress photos of Republic City. “Wow, it looks amazing.” There were raised roads and buildings that were among the vines harmoniously. Asami talked about the ways they’ve been able to have vines wrap around buildings without threatening their foundation or growing inside.

The article also went into her recent engineering and design achievements, as well as the overall comeback of her company after she took it over.

“How difficult was it for you when you first took the company over?” one question asked.

“To be honest, it was incredibly difficult. First off, it was a complete surprise to me when I inherited it, and even though I grew up surrounded in an environment that was all about Future Industries, I had a huge learning curve, as well as pushback from about everyone in the company and Republic City’s business community.”

“Pushback?”

“Yeah, well a little over thirty percent of the company left when I came on as CEO, and sadly I fired about twenty percent more of employees in leadership positions. People in the business community and financial sector were adamant about me selling or merging Future Industries.”

“Oh my. Why did you fire so many of your employees?”

“There were quite a few people in the company that I believed had Equalist ties and had helped produce the technology for their cause.”

Korra was dumbfounded. Asami never talked about this with her or their friends. She knew that business had been worse off than before, but she never knew of the struggle Asami had gone through with it. At the time, Korra was busy mastering Air bending, and the rest of her time she was focusing on her and Mako’s relationship.

Korra stuck out her tongue in slight disgust at the thought of her and Mako’s relationship. Her mom noticed and inquired about her expression.  
“It’s just Asami never talked about her business back then. Nor did I ever really ask her since I was mastering Air bending and then spending all of my free time with Mako. Spirits, Mako and I’s relationship was so...ugh, honestly part of me views it as a mistake.”

“Really?” Senna said in surprise. “You think that?”

“A little. We weren’t really the best for each other. I mean, we didn’t last very long did we?”

“I guess not. But you wouldn’t want to ever get back together with him?”

Korra looked at her mom and shook her head. “I don’t have feelings for him anymore.”

“Well, trust me when I say that you’re going to find someone that will fulfill you sweetheart. You’re so strong, intelligent, and beautiful, let alone the Avatar.” Senna lightly stroked Korra’s back, kissed her on the forehead and told her goodnight.

Korra finished up reading the spread, and flipped through the rest of the magazine. She closed it and stared at the front cover. Immediately her face got hot with embarrassment as she was reminded about Kya’s earlier advice. She knew that she couldn’t not think of Asami if she were to touch herself. It felt wrong to do so.

Korra kept looking at the cover though, getting incredibly hot. She could feel herself getting wet, not being able to stop herself from imagining Asami with her. Before mulling it over any further, she placed her hand down her pants with the other holding the magazine. Touching her clit felt so good. She closed her eyes for a moment and imagined being on top of Asami, touching her. She moaned, and then opened up the magazine to Asami’s spread, focusing on a photo of her fixing a Satomobile in a white tank top. Her hair was pulled back and her toned arms were on full display. Korra found herself focusing on her breasts, getting her so close.

After another minute Korra was in a state of total bliss. She continued touching herself another two times before she was completely spent. After she was done though, embarrassment and shame slowly crept up on her. How could she imagine her friend in such a way? Even if she knew her feelings were beyond platonic?

Korra was reminded of Kya’s advice. She knew that it was natural to feel sexual attraction, and that we shouldn’t deny the sexual sides of ourselves. Korra had never felt this way about another woman before. It was actually quite scary to admit it, but she was in love with her best friend. As far as she knew however, Asami was not gay. If it wasn’t for her, Asami may have very well still been in a relationship with Mako. There was just no way that Asami could feel the same way for her.

“Dammit,” Korra cursed aloud to herself. She dropped the magazine onto the floor, and then blew out her bedside candles and went to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> My previous fics were all from when i was in high school and had just seen the show for the first time. Now, after graduating from college, rewatching ATLA, buying the new Kyoshi novel, and eagerly waiting to rewatch Korra on Netflix, here's a canon compliant fic I wrote to ease my quarantine boredom. I like to think that this is better than what I previously wrote. I hope ya'll enjoyed.


End file.
